Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Have We Learned Anything From Agricultural History?

By Henry Stevens

February 18, 2011 

I’m a firm believer in paying attention to the lessons of history. With that in mind, I took great interest in some speeches from past CFFO leaders that our staff recently uncovered when searching through the organization’s archives. And it’s led me to ask, “Have we learned anything from history?”

One of the speeches was written by then Vice-President, Sid Sikkema, in 1986. Sikkema had attended a workshop entitled “The Globalization of the Farm Crisis” while on vacation in Europe. The workshop was attended by 15 representatives from global church related organizations. They examined rural ministry in the midst of hunger and abundance, trade conflicts, debt crisis and the threat to small land holders and family farmers.

At that time in history, there was a global farm crisis – caused by the overproduction of food in some parts of the world and devastating hunger in other parts. Trade conflicts had erupted and the victims of this war were family farmers in all countries. Not only were famers in developing countries driven out of business by the massive over production subsidies of Western governments, but the drive to the lowest possible prices also hurt family farmers in North America.

Sikkema observed that the agricultural crisis of that era was preceded by the financial crisis of the early 1980s. Agriculture faced a debt crisis as a result and here in Canada, we saw many penny actions. Sound familiar? Could this scenario play itself out again with today’s looming debt crisis?

According to Sikkema’s observations, there were two food strategies operating in the world of that day. One strategy had food self-sufficiency as its number one goal. The second strategy was complete free enterprise. The countries pursuing the former strategy tended to have experienced hunger, while the latter countries hadn’t and were seasoned exporters. Sikkema said that when the goal is efficiency over self-sufficiency people are taken out of the equation. 

Sikkema predicted there would be a massive exodus of family farmers globally, including here in North America, as a result of multilateral free trade worldwide. Under free trade, self-interest was noted as the priority. The steady flow of wealth and power into the hands of a few was said to be the end result. According to Sikkema, destroying family farmers all over the world for the sake of efficiency is unjust. He believed farmers should be colleagues, not competitors. 

Today, we continue that drive for efficiency, largely by taking on more debt, buying out our neighbours and seeking to export even more. This begs me to ask “Have we learned anything from history?” 

 

Henry Stevens is the President of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 29

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Dry conditions behind rapid seeding progress

Spring seeding is well underway across Saskatchewan, with 18 per cent of the 2025 crop now planted. The current provincial seeding progress of 18 per cent is ahead of the five-year average (2020-2024) of 10 per cent and the 10-year average (2015-2024) of 12 per cent. Despite multiple storms throughout the province in April, producers were able to get into their fields and make rapid progress over the last couple of weeks. The southwest region is the furthest advanced with 43 per cent seeded so far and the first seeded crops starting to emerge. The northwest and southeast regions are also making good progress with 15 per cent and 14 per cent of seeding complete, respectively. The west-central region is reporting 11 per cent seeding completion, and the east-central and northeast regions are both reporting nine per cent of seeding complete. Pulse crops are leading in seeding completion, with lentils at 34 per cent seeded, field peas at 31 per cent and chickpeas at 28 per cent. Durum is

Fighting global hunger one crop at a time

As Saskatchewan farmers begin seeding the 2025 crop, Grow Hope Saskatchewan is launching its eighth growing season with a new partner at the table. Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) has joined the ecumenical project expanding the collective effort to end global hunger. “We are thrilled to join this vital project, partnering with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, local farmers, and fellow agencies as we work together toward our shared goal of ending world hunger,” said Cody Cleave, CLWR Donor Relations Manager. Saskatchewan Representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and a member of the Grow Hope SK Steering Committee Rick Block said CLWR is a welcomed addition. “It’s encouraging to see more churches coming together around something so tangible and effective,” Block said. Grow Hope Saskatchewan connects farmers who donate land with donors who cover input costs of roughly $350 per acre. Crops are grown and harvested, and proceeds are matched up to 4:1 through Canadian Foodgrains Ban

Alberta join group that monitors apiaries near crop fields

A non-profit company that promotes communication and stewardship among crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators has welcomed Alberta as the third provincial member. FieldWatch also includes 27 states, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the District of Columbia. The membership will enable Alberta hobbyists and commercial beekeepers, as well as organic and conventional crop producers, to use a secure, easy-to-use online registry to identify and map the locations of apiaries and crop fields that pesticide applicators should avoid. The free and voluntary registries, DriftWatch™ and BeeCheck™, will be available to all Alberta beekeepers and crop producers. FieldWatch President and CEO Bob Walters said FieldCheck® is the online and mobile portal that pesticide applicators can use to improve decision-making and avoid damage from spray drift to crops and beehives. “The goal is to get beekeepers and crop producers registered through FieldWatch so applicators can access accurate inform

International Day of Plant Health is May 12

May 12 marks the International Day of Plant Health, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding everyone of their role in safeguarding agriculture, forests, and the environment in Canada.

Collaborative efforts improve living and working conditions for Ontario’s TFWs

As spring arrives, Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farms are once again welcoming seasonal and temporary farm workers from other countries.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service